Effects of glutamatergic, cholinergic and GABAergic antagonists on tectal cells in toads

Abstract The present paper using microiontophoresis analysis describes transmitters and their receptor subtypes used in retinotectal and isthmotectal transmission, and suggests several modes converging retinotectal and isthmotectal afferents on tectal neurons in toads ( Bufo bufo gargarizans ). Neuronal responses of tectal cells were extracellularly recorded to both visual stimulation and electrical stimulation of the nucleus isthmi, and effects of glutamatergic, cholinergic, GABAergic and glycinergic antagonists on these responses examined. Visual responses in 80% of tectal cells were reversibly blocked by the N -methyl- d -aspartate antagonist 3- rs -2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl-propyl-1-phosphonic acid, and those of the remaining 20% of cells by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, suggesting that there may be at least two kinds of retinotectal synapse that use glutamate and N -methyl- d -aspartate receptors, and acetylcholine and muscarinic receptors, respectively. Electrical stimulation of the nucleus isthmi elicited excitatory responses in 67% of tectal cells, excitatory–inhibitory responses in 16% of cells, and inhibitory responses in 17% of cells examined. The excitatory responses were reversibly abolished by atropine, but not affected by either 3- rs -2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl-propyl-1-phosphonic acid or the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, whereas the inhibitory responses were released by the GABA receptor A antagonist bicuculline, but not influenced by the GABA receptor B antagonist 2-hydroxysaclofen and glycinergic antagonist strychnine. Excitatory and inhibitory components in the excitatory–inhibitory responses were blocked by atropine and bicuculline, respectively. It appears that glutamatergic and cholinergic afferents from the retina, and cholinergic and GABAergic afferents from the nucleus isthmi may converge on tectal neurons in at least five modes of synaptic connections, in agreement with the heterogeneous populations of tectal cells in amphibians.